


Huh, well that's a development...

by Clefaiiiry



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Animal Death, Character Study, First Kiss, Fluff, Hunting, Other, kinda???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 07:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clefaiiiry/pseuds/Clefaiiiry
Summary: Bloodhound appreciated the company of their fellow Legends, be it Makoa’s booming laugh or Anita’s sharp wit. Though none had gotten under their skin quite like Elliott Witt.





	Huh, well that's a development...

The tracks were fresh, it wasn’t too far now. Hours of work would come to a head. The satisfaction of finishing the hunt was almost as potent as the hunt itself. _Almost._

It was their own fault, really. Their first shot had gone too wide, messy, not enough for a painless death. It was irresponsible, not to mention cruel, to abandon an animal in that state.

Felagi cawed above them. She had found their mark.

Finally, _finally_ their prey was in sight. The doe was huffing weakly beside a log. The wound in her flank was worse than they remembered inflicting. She made no effort to squirm away when Felagi landed beside her.

Bloodhound offered a silent prayer as they finally ended the doe’s suffering, swift and efficient. As it should be.

“You fought so hard for life. It was admirable. I’m sorry.”

It only took a few more minutes before they had strapped the doe over their shoulders and began retracing their steps.

Felagi flew ahead, perching every so often to let them catch up before she took off again. She tried to be subtle about it, but Hound appreciated her keeping tabs on them.

A gentle gust blew through the trees. The stillness was soothing, especially after how hectic the last few matches had been. Hound was grateful for the silence; it was rare that they had a moment to themself without someone desperate for their attention. Turns out their performance in the Apex Games had left them with a fair few admirers.

Although, not everyone who pestered them for attention was unwelcome these days. Their fellow Legends ranged from tolerable to insightful to amusing. Hound appreciated their company, be it Makoa’s booming laugh or Anita’s sharp wit. Though none had gotten under their skin quite like Elliott Witt.

At first, he was a complete enigma. His constant stream of one liners and ramblings gave them headaches, and he had a horrible tendency to sprint off as soon as their back was turned to get himself into trouble.

Not that Bloodhound themself was guiltless of such behaviour; their squad mates could no longer count the number of times they had stubbornly charged ahead chasing their prey. But while Hound at least had a plan when they caught up, Elliott seemed to rely entirely on luck. He was a perfectly capable fighter and his holographic decoys were, in Hound’s own words, incredible, but some of his decision making was questionable to say the least.

Hound was convinced that the bumbling idiot play was all an act, but Elliott proved them wrong again and again. But what he lacked in the brain cell department, he made up for in his sheer stubbornness and loyalty. Where any other squad mate would let them bleed out, Elliott would sprint through gunfire to pick them up or grab their banner.

 _“Mirage to the rescue! You can thank me later,”_ he would always say, flashing that charming smile. It worked on the viewers; he was a fan favourite for a reason.

Over time, Hound grew to understand him somewhat and, while much of it was still bewildering, they could at least keep up. Usually leaving behind a befuddled third squad mate.

When placed together, their synergy left squads in shambles. Elliott and his ‘fancy light show’ was the perfect distraction for Hound to slip in and finish off their opponents before they even knew what was happening.

Outside of the games, Elliott had tried smooth talking his way past Hound’s walls many times. Hound reluctantly responded to each attempt with offhanded shrugs and half answers. After all, what was the point in getting close to anyone when the Gods had other plans for them? Why let someone get hurt when they could not commit fully?

But Elliott was much too stubborn, much too curious. Hound gradually began to relax around him, accepting an arm over their shoulder or a high five after wiping a squad. They accepted his invitations to ‘hang out’ after a match, sometimes a bar, sometimes a quiet walk under the night sky. He showed them how his technology worked (though admittedly most of it went over their head) and they in turn taught him of their Gods.

_“So, you just… Hunt until your Gods decide you can die?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Damn, sounds kinda lonely.”_

_“There is nothing for me but this. I have no reason to fight my fate.”_

_“I dunno, your Gods seem pretty chill with you spending so much time with me. They would’ve stopped us by now if they weren’t.”_

Felagi suddenly cawed again and Hound halted. Ahead, they could see movement, too small for larger game, too tall for fauna. They lowered the doe to the ground and slid their rifle from their back as they crept forward.

Someone stood between the trees, facing away. Hound made their way through the undergrowth, focus centred entirely on the figure. Felagi cawed once more, but they foolishly dismissed it.

They edged forward just a little further when the figure flickered.

_Wait-_

As Hound whirled, the ground beneath them fell away, the net hurling them several feet off the ground. Felagi cawed overhead, but her beak wasn’t strong enough to get through the cords. Hound was struggling to regain their bearings, fumbling for their knife, when a cheer erupted from the undergrowth.

“I got you! I actually bamboozled you!”

Hound twisted around in the net. “Elliott?”

There he stood, the goofiest grin spread across his face, as his dismissed the holographic image. “I can’t believe it, wow, like, I know I’m good but I didn’t think this would actually work- Ah, hey!”

Felagi swooped in, shrieking and pecking at his head. She was relentless until Hound called for her.

“Felagi, calm yourself.”

While one last squawk, she flew away circling above like a vulture, never taking her eyes off Elliott.

“C’mon birdie, you know it’s all good fun,” Elliott whined, rubbing his head.

“You set this up?” Hound asked.

Elliott shrugged. “You got totally caught up in your hunt,” he said as he swaggered over, “so I waited till you were far enough ahead so I could get it set up, baited you into position and- well, you know the rest.”

“Impressive.”

“I know, I’m amazing, you’re too kind.”

“Although you forgot one little thing…”

“What-”

The ropes above them snapped and Hound dropped to their feet. They tackled him, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Elliott was dazed for half a moment, but it was enough for Hound to straddle his waist and get his hands pinned above his head. He blinked once, twice, processing, and let out a long groan.

“You couldn’t just let me have this could you?” Elliott pouted.

“You never watch the hands,” Hound said, “even when there’s no face to look at.”

“I mean, I can still get distracted. I’m trying think about how smug you probably look right now.”

Hound hummed, no doubt smirking under their mask. They pushed to their feet and slotted everything back into its rightful place. “My apologies,” they said, pulling him to his feet. Elliott approached as they fussed with the carcass.

“Hey, lemme help you with that-”

Hound had already slung the doe over their shoulders without even a shift in their breathing. “Pardon?”

“Urh, no problem.”

Hound hummed and the two continued down the trail. Felagi was calm, happy to fly ahead now that her partner was out of ‘danger.’

Elliott filled the silence with whatever came to mind; about developments to his holo-tech, about his last Apex match, about a cute dog he saw before heading out. Anything to fill the silence. Hound took in every word, nodding and contributing the occasional comment, but they were happy just to listen.

Elliott wondered what their expression was like. Were they rolling their eyes? Completely impassive? Smiling fondly? He imagined their smile, how their eyes would brighten. Maybe they would cover their face with their hands when he told a dumb joke.

_No, stop, if you keep thinking that you’ll wanna see the real thing and-_

“You’ve gone quiet,” Hound said, “what is on your mind?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

“If it is causing you distress, it cannot be nothing. Tell me.”

“I just…” Elliott deflated, “I was just thinking… do you have any cool scars?”

Hound’s pace slowed. “A fair number, yes.”

“Would you ever show me?” Elliott immediately regretted opening his mouth. “I mean, you don’t have to! I don’t wanna guilt you into it or anything-”

“I have considered it.” Hound’s voice was soft, as if admitting a shameful deed.

“For real? I mean, if you’d wanna then-”

Hound stopped completely. Elliott continued walking for an extra few feet before he realised and jogged back.

“You okay?”

Hound set the doe to the ground, Felagi on standby, watching intently. They paused to lightly pet her chest as she fluffed up, then turned back to Elliott.

“I believe I owe you that much,” they said.

Elliott waved his hands. “Hey, I said I’m not gonna guilt ya-”

Hound cut him off by taking both his hands in theirs, still gloved. “You could not guilt me into anything. The Gods brought you to me for a reason, and I wish to pay back this honour in the only way I know how.”

“Well, yeah, but I’d never wanna make you uncomfortable-”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever felt comfortable enough around to considering taking it off.”

Elliott only realised he was gaping when Hound moved their hands away up to the straps of their mask, hands resting for a second more than necessary.

Hound took a deep breath, then let their mask fall away. Composure was a struggle, but it came to them after a few agonising seconds. They pushed their hair back over their ears and looked up to meet his gaze.

For once, Elliott was speechless.

He couldn’t truly process the situation. This wasn’t real, right? He’d imagined this moment too many times, there was no way this was really real. He was about to wake up, there was no way-

“You are staring,” Hound said.

_Quick! Say something!_

“Urh...”

_Good job, genius!_

Hound frowned. “I was not what you were expecting,” they said. Their tone made his heart shatter. They turned away, reaching for their mask.

_Do something!_

Elliott took their face in his hands and kissed them.

_Not that!_

Hound tensed up, hand instinctively darting for their knife. They wouldn’t ever use it on him, Elliott was certain of that, but old habits die hard. He ran a thumb over their cheekbone, hoping their Gods wouldn’t smite him on the spot.

_This is way too far, total invasion of personal space!_ _Last thing you should be worrying about is their Gods!_

Hound relaxed and dropped their knife to place their hands over his.

Their lips were chapped and their inexperience was evident, but Elliott could’ve died a happy man in that moment. But he didn’t die, at least, he was pretty sure he hadn’t died, though he would have to pinch himself later just to be sure.

When they pulled away far too soon, Elliott pressed their foreheads together, suddenly hyper aware of just how close they were. Hound’s cheeks had started to go red, their hands growing clammy over his, but their expression was still hard, impossible to read. Elliott shuffled awkwardly.

“You good?” he asked.

The corners of their lips twitched into something that resembled a smile. “I’m good.”

“Oh, good, that’s good, real good,” Elliott said.

_Jeez, just stop talking._

Hound made a sound, a wheezed laugh, so quiet that if he had not been right next to them Elliott wouldn’t have heard.

“Yes,” Hound said, patting his cheek, “we’re good.”

“You’re ex- exqu- you’re really pretty, you’re… Wow...”

They sat like that for a while, only disturbed by the rustle of critters in the leaves and the running of a distant stream. Elliott tried his best to remember every detail. He wasn’t sure when, if ever, he’d have this chance again.

_They do have scars._

Some were scratches from their raven, others were burns from thermal grenades, others were particularly nasty swipes from larger prey. He wanted to trace and kiss each one, learn their story.

_Oh wow, they have freckles, that’s so cute-_

“I- urh, oh man… Can I ask you something?”

Hound nodded. Had they even blinked once?

“Can I kiss you?”

They tilted their head to the side. “You already did.”

“I know, I know, but I wanna do it again.”

Hound blinked, then chuckled, squeezing his hands.

_Their eyes are crease up so cutely-_

“Yes, Elliott, you may kiss me again.”

Elliott accepted the invitation, and the promise of more in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> you know, this pairing is just a little bit different to the last one i wrote about lmfao.  
> i'm not usually a fan of unmasking the masked characters but for fluff i'll make an exception.
> 
> btw i kinda left it vague for the reader's sake, but i picture bloodhound looking pretty similar to nizeli's design here: https://nizeli.tumblr.com/post/182859537935/take-off-the-mask
> 
> holy shit it's 3am i need to stop proof-reading and posting this late anyway hmu on tumblr if you wanna scream about whatever: http://clefaiiiry.tumblr.com/


End file.
